Warning bell device



July 12 194-9. P. MAGDELAIN 2,475,055

WARNING BELL DEVI CE Filed June 7, 1946 mxmwx.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented July 12, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WARNING BELL DEVICE Philippe Magdelain, Scarsdale, N. Y., assignor to The Reeve Electrical Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 7, 194.6, Serial No. 675,082 1 Claim. (01. 116-152) This invention relates to a single stroke bell.

By a single stroke bell is meant a bell which produces a separate distinct sound or signal for each stroke on the resonant or sound producing member of the bell. It has been found that distinct, discontinuous sounds overcome general noise, such for example as that in factories, foundries, railroad crossing, in shipyards, loading docks, etc., including the noise of drills, pneumatic hammers and the like, better than a continuous or substantially continuous sound such for example as is generated by vibrating bells.

It is an object of this invention to provide a warning bell which is simple, practical and efficient.

Another object of the invention is to provide a warning bell adapted to give distinct warning signals at spaced intervals.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for producing separate distinct strokes on the gong of a warning bell.

Another object of the invention is to provide striker means for a bell adapted to produce undampened vibrations of the bell.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bell device adapted to produce separate and distinct and undampened signals at regular predetermined intervals to give an effective warning signal even where a condition of general noise exists, and in any position.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the several steps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of the others thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

The invention will best be understood if the following description is read in connection with the drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of my invention with the cover the internal mechanism;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

In the drawings the gong H] of a warning bell embodying the invention is shown supported on the post l2, which in turn is supported by the a device embodying broken away to show arm l4 extending from a housing in which the striker and its actuating means is contained. Gong iii is secured on top of post I 2 by cap screw 5 l extending through the gong and engaged in the vertically threaded bore I2 The base of post I2 is U-shaped and is adapted to fit over the arm M, and is secured to arm I4 as by the bolt i3, extending through the arm and the said base, which may be countersunk to receive the head of the bolt, and the retaining nut IS. The housing comprises the main housing [6 and the removable housing cover l8. Projecting from housing It are lugs I6 for mounting or attaching the device at any desired angle.

Within the housing a motor M is provided which may be supplied with power from any suitable source, through terminal strip 20. On the motor drive shaft 22 a worm gear 24 is mounted to engage worm wheel 26 mounted on the rotatable vertical shaft 23 and engaged thereon as by taper pin 27. The upper end of shaft 28 is received in a thrust bearing 29 provided in the overlying arm 3% of a substantially U-shaped shaft mount or bracket 3D, the other arm 30 of which overlies and is secured to the base member 3| within housing l6, and is cut away to receive the bushing 32 in which is received the lower end of shaft 28.

Also mounted on shaft 28 for rotation therewith is a cam 33 having a high point 33 and a shoulder 33 As shown herein the cam revolves in a counter-clockwise direction, and has riding on its periphery the projection 34 which serves as a cam follower and extends laterally from the horizontal arm 36, which is pivoted on the vertically extending pivot 38, thus causing the arm 36 to move against a spring arm member 48, which, as shown herein, depends from and is detachably secured to a support member 42. A U-shaped holding plate 39, secured to base plate 3!, extends over pivot 38 and thus retains the hub of arm 36 on pivot 38.

The outer end 36 of the arm 36 is bent at right angles and extends in a horizontal plane in the direction of, and in close alignment with, the striker member 44 which is mounted for reciprocation within sleeve 46. Both striker 44 and sleeve 46 have laterally projecting head portions or flanges 44 and Mi respectively, and between the heads 44 and 46* a coil spring 48 is provided around the shank of striker 44. Spring 48 opposes movement of the striker toward gong l0, and serves to urge striker member 44 in a direction away from gong I 0.

When motor M is actuated the cam 33 will be spring 48 'diately moves away initial position, ready to be again actuated" by bell may of course rotated as has been described and contact between projection 34 of arm 33 and the cam surface causes arm 36 to be gradually moved, away from sleeve 46 and against sprin arm 40, from the low point to the high point of the cam, during each revolution of the cam, thus progressively tensioning the spring arm until the high point 33* oi the cam passes projection 34 of arm 36. When this occurs arm 36 is free to move toward the sleeve 46 an angular distance proportionate to the height of the cam shoulder 33 and spring arm 40 in relieving its tension kicks arm 36 over through this permitted range of movement, and the parts are arranged so that this movement causes the outer end 36 of arm 36 to push sharply against the head of striker 44. Thus once for each rotation of cam 33, and at periodic intervals depending upon the speed of rotation of the cam, the arm 36 will move against the spring member 40 bending it outwardly, in a direction away from the sleeve '46, thus building up potential energy in spring 40, which, hen the spring 43 snaps back, throws the arm 36 in the direction of sleeve 46 causing the head portion 3% of arm 36, which, as shown, is in contact with striker 44 to propel striker 44 with force sufficient to overcome the resistance of coil spring 48 and to impart sufficient momentum to striker 54 to cause it to move through sleeve 46 until its inner end forcefully strikes against the gong ill. After its contact with gong Ill striker 44 is immediately withdrawn out of contact with gong it by the action of coil which has been compressed between the head 44 of striker member 44 and the head 46 of sleeve 46 during the inward or striking movement of striker 44. Striker 44 thus immefrom gong l and back to its arm 36 upon the next rotation of cam 33. Thus each blow from striker tion and produces a single, separate, distinct bell tone, the vibrations of which are not dampened.

It will thus be seen that the device described herein is well adapted to provide an auditory signal consisting of a series of single stroke, separate, and periodically recurring bell sounds, each signal being distinct from the others and undampened by prolonged contact between the striker and the gong of the bell.

The device described herein is positive acting and reliable. The spacing of the be varied by varying the number of high points on the cam and the distance between them.

In the embodiment of the invention as illustrated herein 125 strokes on the gong vperminute has been found to give a satisfactory warning signal adapted to be heard over and in spite of a severe condition of general noise. The devicemay be made in compact form,

44 sets gon l0 into vibra-' and it is adapted to tages are successfully sounds of the and against said operate with a very small electric motor, such for example as will give from one one-hundredth to one-fiftieth of a horsepower, and it is adapted for connection in either an A. C. or a D. C. circuit.

My device has the great advantage that its operation is not dependent upon gravity. It is operative at any angle, even when upside down. and it may be mounted on a moving object. Thus for example it may be mounted On a boom and is operative even when the boom is swinging and in spite of the centrifugal force generated by the swinging action.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a method and apparatus in which the various objects hereinabove set forth together with many thoroughly practical advanachieved. As various possible embodiments might be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as the art herein described might be varied in various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I-claim is:

A warning bell comprising, a gong, a striker,

movable toward and away from the gong, means resisting movement-of the striker toward the gong and acting positively to withdraw it from contact with the gong, an arm independent of the striker but having a headaligned with said striker, means for pivotally mounting said arm for movement toward and away from said striker within apredetermined range of movement, a tensionable member aligned with said arm on the other side of the arm from said striker, and means serving, to gradually move said arm away from the striker tensionable member to tension said tensionable member, and to suddenly release said arm whereby the energy storedin said. tensionable member throws said arm against said striker and causes said striker to move into contact with the gongzagai'nst the force of said. means resisting such movement of the striker.

PHILIPPE MAGDELAIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

